Electrostatic separation device for elastic monofilaments from cotton staple fiber yarns in fleece

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device and a method for extracting a synthetic fiber material (7a) from a mixed textile waste fiber material (7a, 7b) comprising a synthetic fiber material (7a) and a natural fiber material (7b). The extraction module (2) of the present invention is attachable to a textile recycling machine (1) for electrically charging a fiber fleece (7) of the mixed textile fiber material and / or for bringing a charged synthetic fiber material close to the surface of the fleece (7), and is configured with an electrostatic charging unit (21), and a separation stage (22) comprising separation means (221, 222, 223) for removing a layer of the fleece (7), in particular a surface layer, containing a synthetic fiber material (7a) having an increased or decreased concentration. A method for retrofitting such an extraction module (2) to a textile recycling machine (1) is also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The field of the present invention is recycling machines and methods for recycling textile materials containing mixed yarn waste, particularly for recycling cotton fibers. Broadly, the present invention relates to devices and methods for recycling textile materials containing natural fibers mixed with elastic synthetic monofilament fibers, where the elastic monofilament fibers are to be extracted to recover the natural fibers. More specifically, the present invention includes an extraction module and method for extracting elastic synthetic single fiber material from the fleece of a mixed textile waste fiber material, a textile recycling machine or its opening and fiberizing stage comprising such an extraction module, a textile recycling method including such an extraction method, and a method for retrofitting such an extraction module to a textile recycling machine.

Background Art

[0002] International Publication No. 2021 / 115931, published on June 17, 2021 in the name of Lenzing AG, discloses a process for recovering starting materials from mixed textile waste including blended fabrics. The treatment of mixed textile waste containing cellulose and polyester components includes steps of an aqueous treatment to depolymerize and dissolve the polyester component, separating the cellulose component from the treatment solution to recover the cellulose raw material, filtering the treatment solution, and precipitating and recovering the polyester raw material containing terephthalic acid using an adsorption filter medium. However, the cellulose material recovered by such chemical treatment typically contains impurities, making it unsuitable for fiber spinning.

[0003] European Patent Application Publication No. 1234900, published on August 28, 2002 in the name of Maschinenfabrik Rieter AG, discloses a cleaning method and device for removing particulate impurities such as plastic particles or other particles from a cotton fiber raw material.

[0004] U.S. Patent No. 3,308,944, published on March 14, 1967 in the name of Reclamation Trades Res Organis, discloses the separation of a mixture of textile fibers by electrostatic means. The separation process includes dispersing the fibers in an air stream and electrostatically charging them. Wool fibers in the dispersion system can acquire a positive charge and polyester fibers a negative charge, both being of sufficient size for separation purposes. In the air stream, the fibers can also be separated using different decay rates of similar charges on different fibers.

[0005] Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 107956081, published on April 24, 2018 in the name of Ningbo High Tech Tone Shengwentu Textile Co., Ltd., discloses a textile device for producing filaments, yarns, etc. The textile device comprises a fabric flattening line having a conveyor belt and a flattening roller for flattening loose fabric material. The improvement is to replace the flattening roller with an electrostatic roller which is part of a waste yarn suction, fusion and extraction mechanism. Electrostatic charge is generated within the electrostatic roller by friction between an inner plastic roller and an outer rubber roller, whereby polyester waste fibers are charged, adhere to the outer roller, are scraped off therefrom by a scraper and collected in a waste collection box. The polyester waste is sucked by an air stream to a melting box, melted, flows on an extraction table having extraction holes, is sucked through the extraction holes by an inclined piston plate and slides under gravity into a lateral draw box. The up and down movement of the piston plate also provides an air stream through first and second air supply channels to the conveyor belt, which blows onto the loose fabric on the conveyor belt, stands the polyester waste yarns on the surface of the fabric and thus facilitates the outer roller to adsorb the polyester waste yarns. This device incorporates a polyester fusing mechanism and is thus relatively complex. This device is particularly adapted to extract polyester waste yarns from loose fibrous fabrics.

[0006] Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 109881306 discloses a method for separating and recycling blended fabrics. This method includes: (1) a step of color measurement; (2) a fibrillation treatment step of fibrillating a polyester and cotton blended fabric by mechanical hooking, defibrating the classified polyester and cotton blended fabric to obtain uniformly dispersed polyester and cotton blended fibers; (3) a chemical pretreatment step of enhancing the dispersibility and conductivity of the polyester and cotton blended fabric and increasing the conductivity difference between polyester fibers and cotton fibers; (4) a dispersion step in which the mixed fibers are dispersed into a uniform thin layer by mechanical vibration or air flow sedimentation; (5) an electrostatic adsorption and separation step in which the multi-component mixed fibers obtained after pretreatment and dispersion are put into an electric field, and under the action of the electric field force, the component fibers are subjected to rapid and slow separation flying upwards or near and far separation falling downwards; and (6) a step of recycling and reusing the separated polyester and cotton fibers.

[0007] Generally, currently known methods rely on either a chemical method in an aqueous solution or an electrostatic method in an air flow to separate synthetic polyester fibers from natural cotton fibers in a blended fabric. Such blended fabrics contain synthetic fibers such as polyester in a typical range of, for example, several tens of percent, or in a range of, for example, 15% - 85% or a sub-range thereof.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a device and method for the improvement and simplified purification of fiber fleeces containing mixed yarn waste from synthetic fiber materials. This object is achieved by the subject matter described in the independent claims. Some embodiments are given in the dependent claims and combinations of claims, providing further improvements.

[0010] Throughout this application, natural fiber materials are cellulose fiber materials such as, for example, cotton fibers, hemp fibers, linen fibers, ramie fibers, sisal fibers, bamboo fibers, or mixtures thereof, or include them. Cellulose fibers have important advantages such as low density, low cost, recyclability, and biodegradability.

[0011] Fabrics typically contain a mixture of natural and synthetic fibers. For example, a fabric can include or be made from a core yarn having synthetic continuous filaments forming a stretchable core and natural fiber rovings providing volume to the core. This is in contrast to blended fabrics that contain large amounts of both synthetic fiber material(s) and natural fiber material(s).

[0012] Examples of synthetic fiber materials are polyester fibers, polyurethane fibers, elastane fibers, polyamide fibers, viscose or rayon fibers, acrylic fibers, nylon fibers. In the recycling of such fabric materials, mixed yarn waste containing natural and synthetic fiber materials is obtained. In order to recover the natural fibers, it is necessary to extract the synthetic fiber materials.

[0013] The core yarn fabric waste material contains a relatively small amount of synthetic fiber material in the range of, for example, 1% to 15%, preferably 1% to 10%, more preferably 2% to 5% (for example, in jeans). However, the core yarn fabric waste material can also contain up to 20% or up to 30% of synthetic fiber material, for example, in swimwear.

[0014] A preferred synthetic fiber material for the core yarn fabric is elastane, which provides elasticity in combination with cotton or viscose, and which provides durability to the fabric material. In the recycling of such core yarn fabric waste materials, a relatively small amount of synthetic fibers must be extracted with high efficiency in order to obtain a high purity of the separated natural and synthetic fiber materials.

[0015] Throughout this application, the term fiber fleece or simply fleece refers to an aggregate of textile fibers that adhere to each other like a non-woven fabric. Such a fleece can form a continuous strand of fiber material that can be conveyed by a conveyor belt, a drive roller or other mechanical conveying means. Such a fleece is different from a flow of fibers that can be pneumatically conveyed by an air stream.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0016] The present invention relates to an extraction module for extracting synthetic fiber material from a mixed textile waste fiber material containing synthetic fiber material and natural fiber material, in particular a core waste fiber material or a core waste fiber material, in particular an extraction module for implementing a method for extraction as disclosed herein, a. An electrostatic charging unit configured to be attachable to a textile recycling machine for electrically charging a fiber fleece of the mixed textile fiber material and / or for bringing a charged synthetic fiber material close to the surface of the fleece; b. A separation stage comprising separation means for removing a layer of fiber fleece, in particular a surface layer, containing a synthetic fiber material of increased or decreased concentration; relates to an extraction module comprising.

[0017] The extraction module has the advantage that it can recover a high-quality natural fiber material from the fleece of mixed yarn waste. This is achieved by using a two-stage process implemented in an electrostatic charging unit or sub-module and a separation stage or preferably a separation unit or sub-module. The extraction module enables the extraction of synthetic fiber materials from the fleece of mixed yarn waste materials with high efficiency and relatively low cost. Preferably, the extraction module is configured to be attached to a fabric recycling machine, especially as a retrofit module.

[0018] In an embodiment, the electrostatic charging unit or sub-module is configured to be attached, especially retrofitted, to the opening stage of a fabric recycling machine. In particular, the electrostatic charging unit can be attached or retrofitted after the carding stage of the fabric recycling machine.

[0019] In an embodiment, the extraction module can comprise an electrical interface for supplying power to the electrostatic charging unit. Alternatively or in addition, the electrostatic charging unit can comprise means for triboelectrically charging the fiber fleece, such as an electrostatic roller that provides a triboelectric effect between two components of different materials, such as a first plastic roller and a second roller or plastic roller of a different material, and the fleece itself. In a further embodiment, the extraction module can comprise attachment means configured to attach or retrofit the electrostatic charging unit to a fabric recycling machine.

[0020] In an embodiment, the electrical separation means comprises electrical separation means for applying an electrical separation field to the charged fiber fleece to bring the charged synthetic fiber material closer or closer to the surface of the fiber fleece. In particular, the electrical separation means can comprise electrodes for applying an electrical separation field to the charged fiber fleece, and / or can comprise an electrical roller or an electrostatic conveyor belt for electrically charging the synthetic fiber material and / or for electrically attracting the charged synthetic fiber material.

[0021] In an embodiment, the separating means comprises mechanical fiber processing means for processing a charged fiber fleece in order to bring the charged synthetic fiber material closer to the surface of the fleece, especially when exposed to an electrostatic separating field. In particular, the mechanical fiber processing means can include a carding roller for carding the charged fiber fleece.

[0022] In an embodiment, the separating means includes mechanical separating means configured to remove a surface layer containing an increased concentration of synthetic fiber material. Alternatively or additionally, the separating means includes mechanical separating means configured to remove a layer of natural fiber material, especially an opposite surface layer or volume layer, containing a decreased concentration of synthetic fiber material. In particular, the mechanical separating means can include at least one separating tool selected from the group consisting of a tilting roller, a knife, a skiving tool, a stripping tool, a brush, a brush roller, a grinding device, or a combination thereof.

[0023] In an embodiment, the separating stage is a separating unit or sub-module configured to be attached, especially retrofitted, to a fabric recycling machine. In particular, the separating unit can comprise an electrical interface for supplying power to drive the separating means and / or further comprise attachment means configured to attach or retrofit the mechanical separating unit to the fabric recycling machine.

[0024] In an alternative or additional embodiment, the separating stage is or comprises a modified part of the opening or carding stage of a recycling machine, in particular a textile recycling machine. In particular, the modified part of the textile recycling machine can comprise a roller to which electrical or triboelectric means have been retrofitted to obtain an electrically chargeable roller, an electrical roller attached in a retrofit manner in the vicinity of the fiber fleece path in the recycling machine, for example a fixed electrode or an electrostatic conveyor belt attached in a retrofit manner in the vicinity of the fiber fleece path in the recycling machine, or one or more of the electrical separation field generating means which are a fixed electrode or an electrostatic conveyor belt, and combinations thereof.

[0025] In an embodiment, the electrical separation field generating means comprises an electrostatic conveyor belt which is movable by a drive means and has an electrically charged pickup area for attracting the charged synthetic fiber material and a discharge area for discarding the synthetic fiber material, in particular by means of a brush cleaner or a suction cleaner.

[0026] In an embodiment, the electrostatic conveyor belt is arranged above the mechanical fiber processing means and / or above the mechanical separating means.

[0027] In an embodiment, the mechanical fiber processing means comprises a carding roller which rotates in the conveying direction of the fiber fleece for carding the fiber fleece and moving it into the electrostatic separation field of the electrical separating means, in particular the electrostatic conveyor belt. This has the advantage that the fiber fleece is loosened and exposed to the electrostatic separation field so that the charged synthetic fiber material can move to the surface layer of the fleece adjacent to the electrical separating means, in particular the electrostatic conveyor belt.

[0028] In an embodiment, the mechanical separation means includes a first layer of a fiber fleece containing a natural fiber material with a reduced concentration of the synthetic fiber material, in particular a volume layer, and a second layer containing an increased concentration of the synthetic fiber material, in particular a surface layer or an upper surface layer, and in particular a reverse rotation roller, in particular a brush roller, for separating the first layer from the second layer, particularly when the second layer adheres to an electrical separation means, preferably an electrostatic conveyor belt.

[0029] In other words, the mechanical separation means, in particular the brush roller, can cooperate with the electrical separation means, in particular the electrostatic conveyor belt, such that the first layer is separated from the electrical separation means, in particular the electrostatic conveyor belt, for example by moving downward, and the second layer adheres to the electrostatic conveyor belt and is thereby removed from the fiber fleece.

[0030] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a textile recycling machine for treating a fleece of waste yarns containing synthetic fiber materials and natural fiber materials, in particular in the opening stage or the carding stage of a textile recycling machine, in particular a textile recycling machine for implementing a method for recycling textiles as disclosed herein, comprising or being attachable with an extraction module as disclosed herein. In particular, the textile recycling machine comprises or is attachable with two or more extraction modules as disclosed herein. Preferably, the fleece of waste yarns is purified from synthetic fiber materials to obtain regenerated natural fibers of sufficient quality for reuse in other processes such as fiber spinning or weaving, dyeing and finishing, in particular for reuse in fiber rotor spinning.

[0031] In an embodiment of the textile recycling machine, the electrical separation field generating means, in particular the electrostatic conveyor belt, can be attached to the upper part of the carding device of the textile recycling machine and / or can replace the cover of the carding device. In a further embodiment, the carding device of the textile recycling machine can comprise mechanical fiber processing means and mechanical separation means.

[0032] In an embodiment, the fabric recycling machine can comprise fleece conveying means for delivering fleece to and from the extraction module, in particular a feed conveyor belt, an outlet conveyor belt, and optionally a rear conveyor belt for refeeding the fleece to at least one of the extraction modules.

[0033] In an embodiment, the fabric recycling machine can comprise a suction roller which is arranged after the separation stage of the extraction module and which functions to recondense a fiber fleece containing a purified natural fiber material obtained from the extraction module.

[0034] In an embodiment of the fabric recycling machine, the extraction module does not include pneumatic means for conveying the fleece of the mixed fabric waste fiber material and / or the extraction module does not include chemical means for extracting the fiber material components.

[0035] In another aspect, the present invention is a method for extracting synthetic fiber material from a fleece of a mixed fabric waste fiber material comprising synthetic and natural fiber materials, in particular the method is implemented in an extraction module as disclosed herein or in a fabric recycling machine as disclosed herein, a. exposing the fleece to an electrostatic charging field provided by an electrostatic unit for electrostatically charging the synthetic fiber material in the fleece, b. applying an electrostatic separation field provided by an electric field generating means for providing a direction of movement of the charged synthetic fiber material towards the surface layer of the fleece, c. mechanically treating the fleece by mechanical fiber treating means for promoting the movement of the charged synthetic fiber material towards the surface layer of the fleece, particularly when the fleece is exposed to the electrostatic separation field, and d. removing a layer containing synthetic fiber material of increased or decreased concentration by separation means, in particular mechanical separation means, relates to a method comprising.

[0036] In an embodiment, the method includes, in step d., removing a surface layer containing a synthetic fiber material having an increased concentration by means of an electrical separation means and / or removing a surface layer or a volume layer on the opposite side of a natural fiber material containing a synthetic fiber material having a decreased concentration by means of a mechanical separation means.

[0037] In an embodiment, the method a0. a step of carding the fiber fleece before step a., b0. a step of carding the fiber fleece after step a. and before step b., and c0. a step of carding the fiber fleece after step b. and before step c. can include at least one of the method steps.

[0038] In an embodiment, step d. can include at least one of a troweling treatment, a knife treatment, skiving, brushing, or grinding of the fiber fleece to remove a layer, particularly a surface layer.

[0039] In an embodiment of the method or the textile recycling machine or the extraction module disclosed herein, the fleece of the mixed textile waste fiber material contains a synthetic fiber material in an initial concentration range of at most 10%, preferably at most 5%, more preferably at most 3%, still more preferably at most 2%, and / or the fleece of the mixed textile waste fiber material contains a core yarn textile waste fiber material or is a core yarn textile waste fiber material, and / or the fleece does not contain a blended fabric textile waste fiber material.

[0040] In an embodiment of the method or the textile recycling machine or the extraction module disclosed herein, the synthetic fiber material is or contains polyurethane, particularly elastane, and / or the synthetic fiber material is not or does not contain polyester.

[0041] In an embodiment, the method includes additional method steps of repeating at least one of or a combination of steps a. and b., step c. or step d. until the regenerated natural fibers are obtained in a quality sufficient for reuse in a fiber spinning process or other processes such as weaving, dyeing and finishing, particularly for reuse in a fiber rotor spinning process.

[0042] In another aspect, the present invention is a method for recycling a textile waste containing a mixed yarn waste, particularly a textile waste fiber material containing or made from a core yarn, the method comprising forming a fleece of the mixed textile waste fiber material containing a synthetic fiber material and a natural fiber material, and a method for extracting the synthetic fiber material from the fleece as disclosed herein.

[0043] In another aspect, the present invention is a method for retrofitting an extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 14 to a textile recycling machine (1), a. providing at least one extraction module, each extraction module comprising an electrostatic charging unit and a separation stage, particularly a separation unit; b. attaching the electrostatic charging unit to the textile recycling machine (1) and supplying power to the electrostatic charging unit; and c. attaching the separation stage to the textile recycling machine and supplying power to the separation stage, relates to a method including the method steps.

[0044] In an embodiment, the electrostatic charging unit is retrofitted to the fiber opening stage of the recycling machine and / or the separation stage is retrofitted to the fiber opening stage of the textile recycling machine.

[0045] Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present embodiments, along with optional features, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and characteristics of the present disclosure. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding and are incorporated herein and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain by way of example the principles and operations of the concepts disclosed herein.

[0046] The invention described herein should not be construed as limited to the invention described in the appended claims, which only show or relate to exemplary embodiments, but will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. The drawings are schematically illustrated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0047]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0048] Reference will now be made in detail to particular embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which several, but not all, features are shown. Embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in many different forms and may include modifications of one or more features or aspects, and generally may be combined with each other. The embodiments are not to be construed as limiting. Rather, these embodiments are provided to ensure that the present disclosure meets applicable legal requirements. Generally, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same or similar components or parts.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a schematic and partial side view of a fabric recycling machine 1 comprising carding stages 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, in particular a first carding stage 1a and a second carding stage 1b and a third carding stage 1c and a fourth carding stage 1d. Therein are conveyance rollers 10 or inlet or feed rollers 10 for controllably feeding a fiber fleece to each subsequent stage 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d. Such conveyance rollers 10 can provide a negative pressure inside to attract a fiber fleece (not shown) and convey it to the next station. Further, there may be carding rollers 11, or generally rollers 11 having a specific roller set such as needle rollers, toothed rollers, wire rollers, combing rollers, or conveyance rollers. Also, there may be screen rollers 12 or screening drums 12 or cleaning rollers 12, which provide a sieve surface having a negative pressure inside so that dirt or waste can fall into the internal volume and thus can be extracted from the fiber fleece.

[0050] According to the present invention, there is an extraction module 2. This includes an electrostatic charging unit 21 which can be configured as a separate sub-module 21 for being retrofitted to the fabric recycling machine 1. The electrostatic charging module 21 shall include electrical fiber charging means (not shown in detail), such as an electric or triboelectric roller or an electrostatic electrode. Further, the extraction module 2 can also be provided with a separation stage 22 which can be configured as a separate sub-module 22 for being retrofitted to the fabric recycling machine 1. The separation stage 22 can be provided with an inlet roller 220 for receiving the fiber fleece and delivering it to the separation stage 22 in a controlled manner. The separation stage 22 can further be provided with electrical separation means 221 including electrical separation field generating means, such as an electric or triboelectric roller(s), and can further be provided with mechanical fiber processing means 222, such as carding roller(s), tumble roller(s), conveying roller(s), etc., and can further be provided with mechanical separation means 223, such as at least one of a ti-roller, a knife, a skiving tool, a knocking-off tool, a brush, a brush roller, a grinding device, or a combination thereof.

[0051] After the fiber fleece has been cleaned from the synthetic fiber material from which it has been electrostatically and mechanically extracted, the cleaned fiber fleece is guided to the outlet channel 3 and from the outlet channel 3, most of it is delivered as a fleece or stream 4 of natural fibers, preferably as a stream of high-purity cotton fibers suitable for further processing in other processes, such as spinning, or weaving, dyeing and finishing, especially rotor spinning.

[0052] Furthermore, the recycling machine 1 can be provided with an opening and carding stage 1c, 1d having different types of roller sets or rollers with metal pins, as indicated by reference numerals 5 and 6. In the present specification, carding is a mechanical process that loosens, cleans, and intermixes fibers to produce a continuous web or sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passing the fibers between differentially operating surfaces covered with card clothing. This breaks up fiber bundles and unorganized masses and then aligns the individual fibers parallel to each other.

[0053] Figure 2 is a flow diagram showing an extraction method for extracting synthetic fiber material, particularly in a generally common fabric recycling process. In step S1, the fiber fleece is charged by an electrostatic charging field. In step S2, an electrostatic separation field is applied to the fiber fleece to move the charged synthetic fiber material towards the surface layer of the fiber fleece. In step S3, the fiber fleece is mechanically processed to facilitate the movement of the charged synthetic fiber material towards the surface layer of the fiber fleece. Then, in step S4, a layer containing synthetic fiber material of increased or decreased concentration, particularly a surface layer containing synthetic fiber material of increased concentration, is removed by mechanical separation means 223.

[0054] Figure 3 shows an enhanced flow diagram in which an interrupted carding stage is alternatively or partially combined, or all together applied, at steps S0, S12, and / or S23.

[0055] In summary, the extraction module 2 can recover natural fibers from the mixed waste fiber fleece with sufficient quality for reuse in spinning, particularly rotor spinning, or weaving and similar processes, by providing a two-stage process using electrostatic and mechanical means for extracting synthetic fiber materials. In particular, the separation stage 22 can include rollers, turners and / or tumblers for bringing the charged synthetic fiber material closer to the surface of the fleece and an electrostatic separation field. Finally, the removal of the synthetic fiber material is achieved mechanically by removing the surface layer of the fleece containing the concentrated synthetic fiber material or by removing the layer of the fleece containing the natural fiber material with a reduced concentration of the synthetic fiber material.

[0056] Figure 4 shows in more detail an embodiment of the extraction module 2, comprising a feed conveyor belt 8, 80 for delivering a fiber fleece 7 containing a synthetic fiber material 7a and a natural fiber material 7b, an electrostatic charging unit 21 which can be provided with first electrical means 21a and / or second electrical means 21b for charging the fiber fleece 7, in particular the synthetic fiber material 7a, and / or for bringing the charged synthetic fiber material 7a closer to the surface of the fiber fleece 7, a separation unit 22 comprising separation means 221, 222, 223, in particular electrical separation means 221, mechanical fiber treatment means 222 and mechanical separation means 223, and an output stage 23 comprising output conveying means such as rollers 12 and an outlet conveyor belt 81.

[0057] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the electrostatic charging unit 21 can be provided with at least one of the electrical means 21a, 21b and 21c so as to be able to achieve the charging of the synthetic fiber material 7a and, additionally and optionally, to bring the charged synthetic fiber material 7a closer to the surface of the fiber fleece 7, in particular in cooperation with the fiber treatment means 222.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 4, the mechanical fiber processing means 222 can include a carding roller 222 that rotates in the conveying direction 9 of the fiber fleece 7 to card the fiber fleece 7 and move it into an electrostatic separation field (not shown) of the electrostatic separation means 221, particularly an electrostatic conveyor belt 221a including a carrier element 221d, for example. In the present specification, the conveying direction 9 can indicate the front or main conveying direction 9 of the fiber fleece material 7 passing through the extraction module 2 of the recycling machine 1.

[0059] The electrostatic conveyor belt 221a can be movable in the conveying direction 9 by a driving device 221b, such as a driving roller 221b, and can include an electrically charged pickup region 2210a for attracting the charged synthetic fiber material 7a and a discharge region 2211a for discarding the synthetic fiber material 7a, particularly by a brush cleaner 221c or a suction cleaner 221c. The electrostatic conveyor belt 2

[0060] The mechanical separation means 223 can include a reversely rotating roller 223, particularly a brush roller 223, for deflecting the fleece 7 away from the electrostatic separation means 221, particularly the electrostatic conveyor belt 223, for example by downward movement. In the present specification, the mechanical separation means 223, particularly the brush roller 223, is disposed in proximity below the electrostatic separation means 221, particularly the electrostatic conveyor belt 221. Thereby, it becomes possible to separate a first layer, particularly a volume layer, of the fiber fleece 7 containing the natural fiber material 7b with a reduced concentration of the synthetic fiber material 7a from a second layer, particularly a surface layer, containing an increased concentration of the synthetic fiber material 7a that adheres at least partially to the electrostatic separation means 221, preferably the electrostatic conveyor belt 221a.

[0061] When retrofitting a synthetic fiber extraction module 2 to the fabric recycling machine 1 as disclosed in this specification, the electrical separation means 221, particularly the electrostatic conveyor belt 221, can be arranged on top of the carding device 2223 which comprises mechanical fiber processing means 222 and mechanical separation means 223. For example, the electrostatic conveyor belt 221 can replace the cover or hood of the carding device 2223.

[0062] In the output stage 23, the roller 12 can be a suction roller 12 or a screening drum 12 which is arranged after the separation stage 22 of the extraction module 2 and serves to re - condense the fiber fleece 7 containing the natural fiber material 7b of increased purity obtained from the extraction module 2. The roller 12 can rotate in the conveying direction 9 and convey the fiber fleece 7 towards the outlet conveyor belt 81.

[0063] In an embodiment, depending on the purity level of the natural fiber material 7b, i.e., the remaining concentration of the synthetic fiber material 7a contained therein, the outlet conveyor belt 81 can, for example, convey the fiber fleece 7 to another extraction module 2. Alternatively, the outlet conveyor belt 81 can convey the purified natural fiber material 7a to the outlet channel 3 (as shown in FIG. 1), or can even replace the outlet conveyor belt 81 with the outlet channel 3 (not shown in FIG. 4).

[0064] As an alternative to, or in addition to, these embodiments shown in FIG. 4, the extraction module 2 can comprise a recycling stage 24 (FIG. 5) for refeeding a fiber fleece material 7 that is not yet sufficiently purified and that contains a still significant concentration of synthetic fiber material 7a in addition to the natural fiber material 7b. The recycling stage 24 can include a separating stage or unit 22, in particular a rearward conveying means 82, such as a rearward conveyor belt 82, disposed beneath separating means 223 and / or mechanical fiber treatment means 222, for collecting the fiber fleece material 7 that is not yet sufficiently purified and conveying it in a rearward conveying direction 9b for refeeding it to the preceding or same extraction module 2.

Explanation of Signs

[0065] 1 Fabric recycling machine 1a, 1b Opening and carding stage, first / second carding stage 1c, 1d Opening and carding stage, third / fourth carding stage, etc. 10 Conveying roller, inlet roller, feeding roller 11 Carding roller, roller with roller set, needle roller, toothed roller, wire roller, combing roller, conveying roller 12 Screen roller, screening drum, cleaning roller, vacuum suction roller (for purified natural fiber material) 2 Extraction module 21 Electrostatic charging unit, electrostatic charging sub-module, electrical fiber charging means 21a, 21b, 21c Electrical means 22 Separating stage, separating unit, separating sub-module 221, 222, 223 Separating means 220 Inlet roller, feeding roller to extraction module 221 Electrical separating means, electrical separation field generating means, electrical roller, electrostatic separation field 221a Electrostatic conveying belt, electrostatic cover of carding device 2223 2210a Electrically charged pickup area for attracting charged synthetic fiber material 2211a Discharge area for discarding charged synthetic fiber material 221b Driving device and driving roller of electrostatic conveyor belt 221c Cleaner, vacuum cleaner, suction cleaner, brush, synthetic fiber collector 221d Carrier element of electrostatic conveyor belt 222 Mechanical fiber processing means, carding roller, tumbler roller, conveying roller 223 Mechanical separation means, tee roller, knife, skiving tool, knocking-off tool, brush, brush roller, grinding device 2223 Carding device equipped with mechanical fiber processing means and mechanical separation means 23 Conveying stage, output stage 24 Recycling stage, refeeding stage 3 Outlet channel 4 Stream of cleaned fibers, stream of cotton fibers 5 First type of roller set or first roller with metal pins, first mechanical fiber processing roller, first toothed roller 6 Second type of roller set or second roller with metal pins, second mechanical fiber processing roller, second toothed roller 7 Fleece of mixed fabric waste fiber material, fleece of core-spun fabric waste fiber material 7a Synthetic fiber material 7b Natural fiber material 8 Fleece conveying means, conveyor means, conveyor belt 80 Feed conveyor belt, feed conveyor means 81 Outlet conveyor belt, outlet conveyor means 82 Rear conveyor belt / means, refeeding conveyor belt / means 9 Conveying direction, forward conveying direction 9b Conveying direction, backward conveying direction

Claims

1. An extraction module (2) for extracting a synthetic fiber material (7a) from a mixed textile waste fiber material (7a, 7b) comprising a synthetic fiber material (7a) and a natural fiber material (7b), in particular comprising or being a core yarn waste fiber material, in particular an extraction module (2) for carrying out a method for extracting a synthetic fiber material (7a) according to any one of claims 28 to 34, wherein: a. An electrostatic charging unit (21) configured to be attachable to a textile recycling machine (1) for electrically charging the fiber fleece (7) of the mixed textile fiber material and / or for bringing the charged synthetic fiber material (7a) closer to the surface of the fiber fleece (7); b. A separation stage (22) comprising separation means (221, 222, 223) for removing a layer, in particular a surface layer, of the fiber fleece (7) containing the synthetic fiber material (7a) at an increased or decreased concentration; The extraction module (2) comprising the above.

2. The extraction module (2) according to claim 1, wherein the electrostatic charging unit (21) is configured to be attached, in particular retrofitted, to the fiber opening stage (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) of the textile recycling machine (1).

3. The extraction module (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrostatic charging unit (21) is configured to be attached, in particular retrofitted, after the carding stage (1a, 1b) of the textile recycling machine (1).

4. The extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising an electrical interface for supplying power to the electrostatic charging unit (21) and / or attachment means configured to attach or retrofit the electrostatic charging unit (21) to the textile recycling machine (1).

5. The extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the separation means (221, 222, 223) comprises electrical separation means (221) for applying an electrical separation field to the charged fiber fleece (7) to bring the charged synthetic fiber material (7a) closer to or even closer to the surface of the fiber fleece (7).

6. The electrical separation means (221) comprises electrodes for applying the electrical separation field to the charged fiber fleece (7) and / or The extraction module (2) according to claim 5, comprising an electric roller or an electrostatic conveyor belt (221a) for electrically charging the synthetic fiber material (7a) and / or for electrically attracting the charged synthetic fiber material (7a).

7. The extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the separating means (221, 222, 223) comprises mechanical fiber treatment means (222) for treating the charged fiber fleece (7) in order to bring the charged synthetic fiber material (7a) closer to the surface of the fleece (7), particularly when exposed to the electrostatic separation field.

8. The extraction module (2) according to claim 7, wherein the mechanical fiber treatment means (222) comprises a carding roller (222) for carding the charged fiber fleece (7).

9. The extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the separating means (221, 222, 223) comprises mechanical separating means (223) configured to remove a surface layer containing the synthetic fiber material at an increased concentration.

10. The extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the separating means (221, 222, 223) comprises mechanical separating means (223) configured to remove a layer of the natural fiber material (7b) containing the synthetic fiber material (7a) at a reduced concentration, particularly an opposite surface layer or a volume layer.

11. The extraction module (2) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the mechanical separating means (223) comprises at least one separating tool selected from the group consisting of a tilting roller, a knife, a skiving tool, a stripping tool, a brush, a brush roller, a grinding device, or a combination thereof.

12. The extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the separation stage (22) is a separation unit (22) configured to be attached, particularly retrofitted, to the fabric recycling machine (1).

13. The extraction module (2) according to claim 12, wherein the separation unit (22) comprises an electrical interface for supplying power to drive the separating means (221, 222, 223) and / or further comprises attachment means configured to attach or retrofit the mechanical separation unit (22) to the fabric recycling machine (1).

14. The separation stage (22) is a modified part of the recycling machine (1), in particular of the fine opening stage or the carding stage (1c, 1d) of the fabric recycling machine (1), or comprises a modified part of the recycling machine (1), in particular of the fine opening stage or the carding stage (1c, 1d) of the fabric recycling machine (1), the extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. The modified part of the fabric recycling machine (1) is a roller to which electrical or triboelectric means have been retrofitted to obtain an electrically chargeable roller (221), an electrical roller (221) attached by retrofitting in proximity to the fiber fleece path within the recycling machine (1), for example, an electrical separation field generating means (221) comprising a fixed electrode or an electrostatic conveyor belt (221a) attached by retrofitting in proximity to the fiber fleece path within the recycling machine (1), or being a fixed electrode or an electrostatic conveyor belt (221a), one or more of the above, and combinations thereof, the extraction module (2) according to claim 14.

16. The electrical separation field generating means (221) is movable by a drive device (221b) and comprises an electrostatic conveyor belt (221a) having an electrically charged pickup area (2210a) for attracting the charged synthetic fiber material (7a) and a discharge area (2211a) for discarding the synthetic fiber material (7a) by means of, in particular, a brush cleaner or a suction cleaner (221c), the extraction module (2) according to claim 15.

17. The electrostatic conveyor belt (221a) is arranged above the mechanical fiber processing means (222) and / or above the mechanical separation means (223), the extraction module (2) according to claim 15 or 16.

18. The mechanical fiber processing means comprises a carding roller (222) rotating in the conveying direction (9) of the fiber fleece (7) for carding the fiber fleece (7) and moving it into the electrostatic separation field of the electrical separation means (221), in particular of the electrostatic conveyor belt (221a), the extraction module (2) according to claim 5 and any other one of claims 1 to 17.

19. The mechanical separation means includes a first layer, in particular a volume layer, of the fiber fleece (7) containing the natural fiber material (7b) with a reduced concentration of the synthetic fiber material (7a), and a second layer, in particular a surface layer, containing the synthetic fiber material (7a) with an increased concentration. The mechanical separation means includes a reverse rotation roller (223), in particular a brush roller (223), for separating when adhering to the electrical separation means, preferably an electrostatic conveyor belt (221a). The extraction module (2) according to claim 5 and any other one of claims 1 to 18 is provided.

20. A fabric recycling machine (1) for treating a fleece (7) of waste yarns containing a synthetic fiber material (7a) and a natural fiber material (7b), in particular the opening and fiberizing stage or carding stage (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) of the fabric recycling machine (1), in particular a fabric recycling machine (1) for implementing a method for recycling a fabric according to claim 35, comprising or being retrofitted with an extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. The fabric recycling machine (1) according to claim 20, comprising two or more extraction modules (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 19, or two or more extraction modules (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 19 being retrofitted.

22. The electrical separation field generating means (221), in particular the electrostatic conveyor belt (221a), is mounted on top of the carding device (2223) of the fabric recycling machine (1) and / or replaces the cover of the carding device (2223). The fabric recycling machine (1) according to claim 20 or 21 is provided.

23. The carding device (2223) of the fabric recycling machine (1) comprises the mechanical fiber processing means (222) and the mechanical separation means (223). The fabric recycling machine (1) according to any one of claims 20 to 22 is provided.

24. The fleece conveying means (8) for delivering the fleece (7) to and from the extraction module (2), in particular a feed conveyor belt (80), an outlet conveyor belt (81), and optionally a rear conveyor belt (82) for refeeding the fleece (7) to at least one of the extraction modules (2). The fabric recycling machine (1) according to any one of claims 20 to 23 is provided.

25. A fabric recycling machine (1) according to any one of claims 20 to 24, comprising a suction roller (12) arranged after the separation stage (22) of the extraction module (2) and functioning to re-condense the fiber fleece (7) containing the natural fiber material (7b) of increased purity obtained from the extraction module (2).

26. The fabric recycling machine (1) according to any one of claims 19 to 25, wherein the extraction module (2) does not include pneumatic means for transporting the fleece (7) of the mixed fabric waste fiber material (7a, 7b), and / or the extraction module (2) does not include chemical means for extracting fiber material components.

27. The fabric recycling machine (1) according to any one of claims 20 to 26, wherein the fleece (7) of the waste yarn is purified from the synthetic fiber material (7a) to obtain a recycled natural fiber (7b) of a quality sufficient for reuse in fiber spinning, particularly fiber rotor spinning.

28. A method for extracting synthetic fiber material from a fleece (7) of a mixed fabric waste fiber material (7a, 7b) comprising a synthetic fiber material (7a) and a natural fiber material (7b), in particular, the method being carried out by an extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 19 or a fabric recycling machine (1) according to any one of claims 20 to 27, a. exposing the fleece (7) to an electrostatic charging field provided by an electrostatic unit (21) for electrostatically charging the synthetic fiber material (7a) in the fleece (7) (step S1); b. applying an electrostatic separation field provided by an electric field generating means (221) for providing a moving direction of the charged synthetic fiber material (7a) towards the surface layer of the fleece (7) (step S2); c. mechanically treating the fleece (7) by mechanical fiber treatment means (222) for promoting the movement of the charged synthetic fiber material (7a) towards the surface layer of the fleece (7), particularly when the fleece is exposed to the electrostatic separation field (step S3), and d. removing a layer containing the synthetic fiber material (7a) of increased or decreased concentration by separation means (221, 222, 223), particularly mechanical separation means (223). A method comprising the steps.

29. In step d., removing the surface layer containing the synthetic fiber material (7a) with increased concentration by means of electrical separation means (221) (S4), and / or removing the surface layer or volume layer on the opposite side of the natural fiber material (7b) containing the synthetic fiber material (7a) with decreased concentration by means of mechanical separation means (223), the method according to claim 28.

30. a0. A step (S0) of carding the fiber fleece (7) before step a.; b0. A step (S12) of carding the fiber fleece (7) after step a. and before step b., and c0. A step (S23) of carding the fiber fleece (7) after step b. and before step c. The method according to claim 28 or 29, including at least one of the method steps.

31. Said step d. includes at least one of teething roll treatment, knife treatment, skiving, brushing, or grinding of the fiber fleece (7) for removing said layer, in particular said surface layer, the method according to any one of claims 28 to 30.

32. The fleece (7) of the mixed fabric waste fiber materials (7a, 7b) contains the synthetic fiber material (7a) in an initial concentration range of at most 10%, preferably at most 5%, more preferably at most 3%, even more preferably at most 2%, and / or The fleece (7) of the mixed fabric waste fiber materials (7a, 7b) contains core yarn fabric waste fiber materials (7a, 7b) or is core yarn fabric waste fiber materials (7a, 7b), and / or The fleece (7) does not contain blended fabric waste fiber materials, the method according to any one of claims 28 to 31.

33. The synthetic fiber material (7a) is polyurethane, in particular elastane, or contains polyurethane, in particular elastane, and / or The synthetic fiber material (7a) is not polyester or does not contain polyester, the method according to any one of claims 28 to 32.

34. Steps a. and b. are repeated until the regenerated natural fibers (7b) are obtained in a quality sufficient for reuse in a fiber spinning process, in particular a fiber rotor spinning process. At least one or a combination of steps c. or d. is included in the method according to any one of claims 28 to 33.

35. A method for recycling a fabric containing mixed yarn waste, wherein a fleece (7) of a mixed fabric waste fiber material containing a synthetic fiber material (7a) and a natural fiber material (7b), in particular containing core yarn waste or being core yarn waste, is formed, and the method for extracting the synthetic fiber material from the fleece (7) is carried out according to any one of claims 28 to 34.

36. A method for retrofitting an extraction module (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 19 to a fabric recycling machine (1), a. providing at least one extraction module (2), each extraction module (2) comprising an electrostatic charging unit (21) and a separation stage (22), in particular a separation unit (22); b. attaching the electrostatic charging unit (21) to the fabric recycling machine (1) and supplying power to the electrostatic charging unit (21), and c. attaching the separation stage (22) to the fabric recycling machine (1) and supplying power to the separation stage (22). The method includes the above method steps.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the electrostatic charging unit (21) is retrofitted to the fiber opening stage (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) of the recycling machine (1) and / or the separation stage (22) is retrofitted to the fiber opening stage (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) of the fabric recycling machine (1).

Images